CWS Welsh Class

Off to a good start...

2012-01-04T15:28:00.000-08:00

We started the spring semester last night with good attendance. I've updated the te bach list on that page.

Just a reminder...

2011-12-28T08:48:00.000-08:00

No class this week due to the holidays, but we start again on Tuesday, January 3rd!

December 20th update

2011-12-19T09:14:00.000-08:00

Tuesday December 20th will be our last class meeting this year. Looks like we will luck out again on the weather. This will be our party night with everyone bringing treats who wants to.

December Update

2011-12-02T10:43:00.000-08:00

Our good luck with the weather continues. Unless it changes, classes will meet as usual on December 6th, 13th, and 20th. (December 27 is our Christmas break.)

Weather update: 11/1/11

2011-11-01T11:46:00.000-07:00

Currently we are planning to hold classes this evening, although as always everyone is urged to think of their own safety in deciding whether to come. Current weather forecast:

"... Winter Storm Warning in effect from 9 PM this evening to noon
MDT Wednesday...

The National Weather Service in Denver has issued a Winter Storm
Warning for snow and blowing snow... which is in effect from 9 PM
this evening to noon MDT Wednesday. The Winter Weather Advisory is
no longer in effect.

* Timing... a mix of rain and snow is expected to develop early
this evening... quickly changing over to snow by mid evening. The
snow will be heavy at times overnight with snowfall rates around 1
inch per hour.

* Accumulation/wind... total accumulations 5 to 10 inches can be
expected... with the highest amounts near the foothills and along
the southern suburbs of Denver. North winds of 15 to 25 mph will
occur... with stronger gusts east of Interstate 25 mph.

* Main impact... roads will become icy and snowpacked tonight with
hazardous travel conditions. Visibilities may also be reduced to
less than one quarter mile in areas of heavier snowfall and
blowing snow. Heavy snow may accumulate on trees resulting in
additional tree damage and scattered power outages."

Calan Gaeaf Hapus i Pawb!

-GRG

Weather Watch: 11/1/11

2011-10-31T13:03:00.000-07:00

I may have spoken too soon...

"... Winter Storm Watch remains in effect from Tuesday evening
through Wednesday morning...

A Winter Storm Watch remains in effect from Tuesday evening
through Wednesday morning.

* Timing... a mix of rain and snow is expected to develop early
Tuesday evening and then change to snow by mid evening. The
snow may be heavy at times Tuesday night with snowfall rates
around 1 inch per hour."

Full forecast here. We'll see how this develops.

Weather Watch: 11/1/11

2011-10-31T11:27:00.000-07:00

Looks like we're going to be lucky again this week, but as always check this site for updates before coming to class, and use your own discretion.

-GRG

Weather Update

2011-10-25T14:27:00.000-07:00

The current forecast for this evening is for "rain developing between 6 PM and 8 PM...changing to a mix of rain and snow between 8 PM and 10 PM and all snow by midnight." Trefor and I have conferred, and subject to any deterioration in the forecast weather, have decided to go ahead with class tonight. As I live 10 minutes from the Archdiocese, I will be there unless it is actually snowing at 6:30. However, anyone who is worried about the weather or has a long drive should feel free to skip the class - always consider your own safety first!

-GRG

Weather advisory

2011-10-22T09:49:00.000-07:00

October 25th class - possible snow Tuesday night and / or Wednesday. Check this site before coming to class.

From Elis Owens: New Classes!

2011-10-03T06:37:00.000-07:00

Diolch / Thank you to those who have already replied to express interest in joining this year’s language classes. We have a total of 4 new students ready to start this year, and there room for more if anyone else is interested.

As described below the classes start this Tuesday, October 4th. We will be meeting in rooms 107 and 109 in the main building on the campus of the Archdiocese of Denver (Louisiana and Steele streets). Please enter the campus on Louisiana street from either the east or the west. The road makes a loop to the south around the main building where there is abundant free parking. Enter the main building through the door in the middle of the south side, go past the desk in the lobby and down the main hall on the left. Our rooms are down this hallway on the left. We will all meet in room 109 for introductions before we get started.

For those of you who are returning from last year – we encourage you to select your own level where you feel you would be most comfortable.

As described below – classes run form 7 to 8:30 and are followed by a Te Bach social time. Typically we all take turns bringing treats for the group. Ginny will be bringing treats for the te bach after the first class and we will be starting a signup sheet.

If there are any other questions please email me – elism@mindspring.com or call 303-427-7188.

Hwyl – Elis

Colorado Welsh Society Language Classes Starting October 4th

2011-09-29T05:31:00.000-07:00

The Colorado Welsh Society invites you to join us every week starting on Tuesday October 4th for the 2011 – 2012 session of our Welsh Language Classes. Classes are offered at two levels – for beginners and for intermediate/advanced students. Classes focus on a mix of grammar, vocabulary, and the spoken language and the over the last several years the intermediate/advanced students have progressed to reading Welsh Folk tales (in Welsh) and basic conversations. Although we are serious in our studies we do our best to keep them fun and best of all - NO FINALS.

Classes meet on Tuesday evenings from 7-8:30pm, then come together between 8:30 and 9pm for a social time or Te Bach. Tea (perhaps the national drink of Wales) is provided and students takes turns in bringing a treat to share. Classes are held on the campus of the Archdiocese of Denver which is located on Louisiana Street between University and Colorado (just north of I-25).

Classes are offered at no cost to members of the society other than the cost of the text, which is typically $25.

For more information or to register please contact Elis at elism42@mindspring.com or 303-427-7188.

Classes will be starting soon!

2011-09-12T12:24:00.001-07:00

We'll be starting up again soon at our usual location: the Archdiocese of Denver. First class will be Tuesday evening at 7:00 pm on October 4th. Elis and I will be adding more details soon.

In the meantime, here's a picture from our CWS booth at the Long's Peak Scottish-Irish Highland Festival yesterday:

To see more, click on the picture and it'll take you to my Flickr account.

Summer break

2011-06-14T09:44:00.001-07:00

Welsh classes are on summer hiatus now, although some of us are still planning to meet from time to time to practice conversation. For information, or to inquire about next year's classes, leave a comment on this post or call Elis Owens at (303) 427-7188. Classes will start again around the first of October, and are free to members of the Colorado Welsh Society.

-GRG

Spring Semester Ending Soon

2011-05-05T07:08:00.000-07:00

Our last class of the spring semester will be May 31st. During the summer, however, some of us will still be meeting weekly for Welsh conversation at various venues. I'll post more about this when we get closer to June.

Back on schedule

2011-02-15T11:09:00.000-08:00

The weather being good for a change, classes are back on schedule.

Bad weather again...

2011-02-08T06:41:00.000-08:00

I'll put up a notice later today when we decide whether to cancel for snow.

*************UPDATE***********

All classes for tonight are canceled. Classes will (we hope!) resume next Tuesday Feb. 15.

Winter weather...

2011-01-31T06:46:00.000-08:00

At this time it appears probable that class will be canceled for tomorrow night (Tuesday night, Feb. 1, 2011) due to extreme cold and snow. Please check back tomorrow for more details.

********UPDATE**********

Feb. 1 class is canceled due to weather. We will resume next week at the usual time.

Spring semester starts in the language class

2011-01-03T08:06:00.001-08:00

After a one-week break (Welsh students are dedicated!), classes will resume at the usual time and location on Tuesday, January 4th.

-GRG

Christmas vacation

2010-12-27T07:11:00.001-08:00

For anyone who was wondering, we have no class this week. Classes start again next Tuesday (January 4, 2011).

-GRG

2010 Classes now underway

2010-10-14T11:59:00.000-07:00

Talk about not maintaining a blog... Well, after a year's hiatus (in blogging, not Welsh classes!) I can now announce that Colorado Welsh Society's annual language classes started this week. We have two levels this year, beginning and intermediate. The map and location are the same as before, and I think all the contact phone numbers here are still current too. If anyone has questions, leave a post and I'll do my best to answer.

-GRG

Classes starting October 6th!

2009-09-15T08:30:00.000-07:00

Almost every Tuesday evening between October and the end of May, a group from the Colorado Welsh Society gathers in Denver to study "Cymraeg."

It's fall and that means a new session of the Colorado Welsh Society Welsh Language Classes is beginning. Once again this year the Society language classes will meet in rooms on the campus of the Archdiocese of Denver, at 1300 S. Steele St., which is conveniently located on Louisiana St. between University Blvd. and Colorado Blvd., a few blocks north of I-25.

There are several forms of Welsh and our classes focus mainly on the modern spoken language, although comparisons with the older literary or biblical forms of the language are made. We try to keep the classes fun with the aim of getting students to try to speak the language rather than emphasizing grammatical perfection.

Classes are offered at three levels: beginners, intermediate (last year's beginners), and an advanced class. We meet on Tuesday from 7 to 8:30 pm. At 8.30pm, all three groups come together for a social time or "Te Bach" before heading home.

Classes are free to all members of the Welsh Society. Class members also take turns bringing a treat such as cookies for the "Te Bach."

For more information on CWS Welsh language classes please leave a comment on this blog or contact Elis Owens at (303) 427-7188.

-Elis Owens

Coming soon!

2009-09-11T15:30:00.000-07:00

This year's classes will be starting on October 6, 2009 - watch this space for more information.

-GRG

A little fun...

2008-12-02T15:16:00.000-08:00

Classes are going busily along. I'll be back to posting soon, but in the meantime... a new way to customize your answering machine messages in Welsh!

-GRG

What we're doing now - the advanced class

2008-11-03T15:08:00.000-08:00

Last week along with conversation, reading, and translation, we did a little grammatical correction. A couple of weeks ago I asked two of the students to write a few sentences about why they were studying Welsh - in Welsh, naturally. Last week we went over Greg Griffith's piece as a group. Here is the result:

Roeddwn i eisiau dysgu Cymraeg achos o fy nheulu i. Rydyn ni’n dod o Gymru. Iaith fy hynefiaid i yw hi. Mae’n rhaid i ni byth colli Cymraeg. Mae hi’n rhan ein diwylliant ni.

And in English...

I wanted to learn Welsh because of my family. We come from Wales. It is the language of my ancestors. We must never lose Welsh. It is part of our culture.

-GRG

Ginny Grove: How to be in two places at once

2008-10-23T10:55:00.000-07:00

This week the intermediate and advanced classes (level 2 and level 3) met as one, since the level 2 teacher, Elis Owens, wasn't able to attend. Rather than my bouncing back and forth between the two groups, I decided to combine them in a "dosbarth i gyd" - a class of the whole. I provided a handout containing some conversational topics and sentence templates, and went through it first with the intermediates. Then I spent some time with the whole group, asking questions to individuals in Welsh and getting answers in the same language - simple things like "what did you do over the weekend?" and "how was the weather yesterday?" After everyone was warmed up, I split the class into two groups (each containing intermediates and beginners) and let them get on with having Welsh conversations among themselves, while I moved back and forth monitoring and sometimes contributing.

Everyone seemed to have a good time, and I think trying to help each other speak and understand broke down somewhat the nervousness that attacks anyone who's the focus of attention when the teacher asks them a question. One of the intermediates suggested afterwards that I set the groups up next time so it's the less experienced people who get to ask the questions, and the others who have to understand what they've heard and answer -- a good idea, I think. (I'm writing it down here partly to help me remember it!)

For a bilingual version of this post, see my blog.

- GRG

Elis Owens: Language Instructor - Language Student

2008-10-20T07:15:00.000-07:00

Why do I teach Welsh? To put it simply, "I teach Welsh to study Welsh!" I was fortunate to grow up in Brecon/Aberhonddu Wales in a bilingual family. Although there was a fledgling Welsh language school in Brecon at that time, it was a primary school (grades 1 - 5) and I was about to enter 6th grade when we moved to Brecon. I was however able to study Welsh in high school, eventually obtaining an "O Level" certificate in Welsh. After obtaining a Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of Wales in Cardiff I moved to America. For my first 10 years in America, Welsh was simply something I spoke when I went back to Wales to visit my family who all speak "Yr Iaith".

However, when I moved to Denver in 1999, I began to look for ways to meet people and make friends. A few months after my arrival I saw an announcement in the Denver post for the Colorado Welsh Society - St. David's Day celebration - I went and met Trefor. That fall I began to attend the language classes and the following year became instructor for the advanced class. Since that time the classes have grown, and we now teach at three levels. Trefor does an excellent job with the beginners, while this year Ginny Grove and I will be handling the intermediate and advanced students. It was a delight for me to have Ginny join the classes last year; having another speaker who can carry a conversation has not only helped me but also helped the whole class. We can start a flow of words and they seem less intimidated about joining in. So far this year I have been working with the intermediate students, Alexandria, Debra and Richard, to review what they covered last year with Trefor and build their confidence with using what they already know before we add new tenses. We are also working on what I call aural comprehension skills - being able to understand what is being said without seeing it written down.

So why do I say I teach Welsh to study Welsh? During my involvement with the class I have realized that my own Welsh skills have become sloppy as a result of only speaking it with my family. As with many spoken languages, the spoken form has much looser use of grammar etc. By teaching the class I have had to go back and review much of the grammar and I know now that my Welsh is stronger than it has ever been. Thank you Colorado Welsh Society and the language class students. Gobeithio byddwn ni'n parhau am byth!

-Elis Owens

What we're doing now - the advanced class

2008-10-15T10:36:00.000-07:00

Last night the advanced class read and translated another selection from "Sgyrsiau Dros Baned" by Elwyn Hughes, a collection of humorous short essays in Welsh designed to provide topics for conversation. Unfortunately the book is out of print, or we'd do more with it. The language is intentionally slanted towards North Wales idioms and constructions, and some people found it harder going than usual on that account, but I think they agree that the more different forms of Welsh we're exposed to, the better. The piece we read was "Problemau Iaith" - Language Problems - and in the associated conversation it was fascinating to hear how many different languages people had studied. The general consensus seemed to be that Welsh is harder than French, but perhaps easier than German!

I gave a couple of the class over-achievers an additional assignment: to write a few sentences (in Welsh) about why they're studying the language. If they follow through, that should be on next week's blog. And in the meantime, we should have a piece from Elis soon about what the intermediate class is up to.

-GRG

What we're doing - the advanced class

2008-10-13T07:26:00.000-07:00

Two weeks into our fall term already! Last week the advanced class was doing reading and translation (easy beginner materials, to get us going again after the summer) and discussing the readings and other topics in Welsh, with some English mixed in. We have decided to press on with "Pedair Cainc y Mabinogi i Ddysgwyr" by Alun Ifans, which we began last spring, and I've ordered copies for everyone from the Welsh Books council site, www.gwales.com. With six students in the class besides myself, everyone gets plenty of opportunity to use their Welsh during the hour and a half long class!

For a brief post in Welsh (with translation) about the weather in Denver this last weekend, see my own blog here.

-GRG

Welsh Language Classes Started Sept. 30

2008-10-02T14:37:00.000-07:00

Almost every Tuesday evening between October and the end of May, a group from the Colorado Welsh Society gathers in Denver to study "Cymraeg."

It's fall and that means a new session of the Colorado Welsh Society Welsh Language Classes is beginning. Once again this year the Society language classes will meet in rooms on the campus of the Archdiocese of Denver, at 1300 S. Steele St., which is conveniently located on Louisiana St. between University Blvd. and Colorado Blvd., a few blocks north of I-25.

There are several forms of Welsh and our classes focus mainly on the modern spoken language, although comparisons with the older literary or biblical forms of the language are made. We try to keep the classes fun with the aim of getting students to try to speak the language rather than emphasizing grammatical perfection.

Classes are offered at three levels: beginners, intermediate (last year's beginners), and an advanced class. We meet on Tuesday from 7 to 8:30 pm. At 8.30pm, all three groups come together for a social time or "Te Bach" before heading home.

Classes are free to all members of the Welsh Society. Class members also take turns bringing a treat such as cookies for the "Te Bach."

For more information on CWS Welsh language classes please leave a comment on this blog or contact Elis Owens at (303) 427-7188.

-Elis Owens